4Culture News

Information on 2024 Project Grants, Doors Open, and COVID Relief Funds

You’ve likely heard the exciting news that last month, the King County Council unanimously passed Doors Open, a piece of legislation that will increase funding to King County cultural organizations by an estimated $90 million per year. Learn more about this landmark investment here.

Continue Reading ›

Artists Selected for Two Major King County Metro Projects

Haddad|Drugan. Luminous Wind, 2019. Peña Light Rail Station, Denver, Colorado. Photo: Peter Barta

4Culture and Metro are excited to announce the selection of not one but two artist teams who will help advance the future of regional public transit at the forthcoming South Annex Base in Tukwila and an expanded bus stop at Third Avenue South and South Main Street in historic Pioneer Square.

Continue Reading ›

At Harborview Medical Center, hundreds of artworks inspire healing

Katie Miller. Cellular Flow, 2023. Digital images on 3Form panels. Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: joefreemanjunior.com

Doctors and nurses visit with patients. Staff stream through the hallways. Loved ones wait in lobbies. On any given day at Harborview Medical Center, thousands of people play a part in a range of procedures, tests, and treatments that heal the sick and injured. As all of these people make their way through the hospital’s clinics and corridors, they pass by numerous artworks on the floors, walls, and near the elevators. Each artwork offers a respite, a moment of beauty or perspective. Together these pieces keep the Harborview community grounded day after day, even in the face of extraordinary challenges.

Continue Reading ›

Signature Bridges Connect Us to Form and Function

Cris Bruch. Mount Si Bridge, 2008. Cast steel, galvanized steel, paint, and plantings. North Bend, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: joefreemanjunior.com

Amid the many types of public artworks in King County’s collection—portable and permanent works on the walls, large- and small-scale installations, pieces integrated into buildings, ephemeral experiences and participatory initiatives—one group of artworks is particularly unusual: our signature bridges. Since the late 1990s, 4Culture has partnered with the county’s Road Services Division to include artists on their bridge design teams. This collaborative and creative approach to developing transportation infrastructure elevates the experience of traveling over our region’s waterways, often offering a glimpse into who we are and where we want to go.

Continue Reading ›

Guest Post: Reflections on My Preservation Internship with Beacon Hill Council

Rosa Woolsey, 2023 Equity in Historic Preservation Undergraduate Intern, in front of the 4Culture Office, Photo by Emily P. Lawsin.

Rosa Woolsey, the 2023 Equity in Historic Preservation Undergraduate Intern, reflects on her introduction to historic preservation and her internship project, researching culturally significant places for Seattle’s Beacon Hill Council and the Beyond Integrity initiative.

Continue Reading ›

Doors Open Resources

Taking a class. DASSdance. 2022

The King County Council is currently considering Doors Open, a proposal from King County Executive Dow Constantine that would increase funding to arts, heritage, science, and historical preservation non-profit organizations through a 0.1 percent sales tax. If approved by the King County Council, tax collection would begin in April 2024. With over 50 years of grant-making experience, 4Culture is the County’s designated agency to distribute funding and implement the program.

Continue Reading ›

Join Us in Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Muckleshoot Tribe Canoe Journey, Sunday, July 31, 2023 Alki Beach in West Seattle.

Since Indigenous People’s Day was made a King County holiday last year, 4Culture staff have been seeking out intentional ways to learn more about the Native American tribes that make their home in and around King County. This year, staff members attended events that brought people together in celebration. This is part of our ongoing effort to deepen our relationship with Indigenous communities in King County in ways where we are invited to participate.

Continue Reading ›

Guest Post: Dispatch from the 2023 King County Heritage Internship

Our King County Heritage Internship Program connects heritage organizations with students and emerging professionals seeking work experience in the heritage field. This year, we partnered with the Museum of Flight on an internship opportunity to work with their collections. Andrew Le is the intern for this year’s program, and he recently received a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Washington. Andrew started working with the Museum of Flight in February, and he will complete his internship in August. Here, Andrew shares insight into his experience.

Continue Reading ›

Stronger Together –Strategic partnerships create a more equitable cultural sector

A man is sitting at a table reading a document. He is wearing a grey shirt, blue jeans and sneakers. To his left is a large window with many window panes. To his right is a print of a Buffalo Soldier in a landscape. The picture is on a desk leaning against a wall.
Kevin Washington, Board Member at Buffalo Soldiers Museum, using office space at Historic Seattle's Dearborn House ©2023, photo courtesy of Buffalo Soldiers Museum.
In celebration of Building for Equity’s 4th anniversary, we’re thrilled to highlight partnerships developed through the program’s Cultural Space Contribution requirement. Even though this is a small component of a larger program, the requirement has generated big results. Continue Reading ›